Tim Mapes, the former chief of staff to longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan convicted of lying under oath to a grand jury to protect his once-powerful boss, was sentenced to more than two years in prison Monday.
The 68-year-old Mapes, who served for almost two decades as the Democrat’s chief of staff, was convicted of one count of perjury and one of attempted obstruction of justice last year.
U.S. District Judge John Kness sentenced Mapes to 30 months in prison, short of what prosecutors sought but more than the probation his defense attorneys had pushed for.
“I don’t understand why. You were immunized by the grand jury, and all you had to do was go in and tell the truth,” Judge John Kness said. “You knew the testimony was false…I can’t ignore that finding.”
Mapes will report to prison in mid-June to begin his sentence, according to the judge.
Kness said in court he felt a sense of loyalty had potentially motivated Mapes' deception, but said that such a feeling was a mistake.
"Your loyalty was misguided, and now you will pay the price for that," he said.
Local
Kness said that Mapes' age was taken into consideration when handing out the sentence.
“I do not believe a five-year sentence was necessary or appropriate. The people of this state cry out for accountability, but I’m not going to make you accountable for the conduct of others," he said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The conviction of Mapes struck uncomfortably close to home for the now 81-year-old Madigan who, for decades, was one of the most powerful state legislative leaders in the nation. Many once thought he was untouchable because he was too smart, careful and well-connected.
Then, in 2022, he was indicted on charges that included racketeering and bribery.
Prosecutors told jurors Mapes lied repeatedly when he testified in 2021 to a grand jury investigating Madigan and others. They said he specifically lied when he said he couldn’t recall any relevant details about Madigan’s ties to Michael McClain, who was a Madigan confidant.
One witness, a legislator, told jurors that Madigan, Mapes and McClain formed a mighty triumvirate — with Madigan at its head — in the Illinois House for years, controlling which bills got through the legislative body.
Government evidence included wiretapped phone recordings and audio of Mapes testifying before the grand jury.
“He did everything he could to obstruct the process … to minimize his participation, to act as if he was clueless,” prosecutor Julia Schwartz said of Mapes during closing arguments Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Defense lawyer Katie Hill told jurors in her opening statement that Mapes never intentionally misled the grand jury, saying he simply couldn’t remember many details. She likened the questions Mapes was asked to a pop quiz at a high school reunion and asked jurors if they would be able to remember the color of their prom corsages or who was class president their junior year.
During closings, defense attorney Andrew Porter said Mapes would have had no motivation to lie to protect his old boss after Madigan had forced him to resign in 2018 amid allegations of harassment, which Mapes has denied.
"Why would he fall on his sword for a guy who kicked him to the curb three years before?” Porter asked.
Federal jurors in May 2023 convicted four defendants of bribery conspiracy involving the state’s largest electric utility. Prosecutors said McClain, two former ComEd executives and a former utility consultant arranged contracts, jobs and money for Madigan’s associates to ensure proposed bills boosting ComEd profits became law.
A year before Madigan was indicted and amid speculation that he was a federal target, Madigan resigned from the Legislature as the longest-serving state House speaker in modern U.S. history.
The indictment accused Madigan of reaping the benefits of private legal work that was illegally steered to his law firm, among other things. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Mapes has been ordered not to contact Madigan or McClain pending their trial date, according to court officials.
